Posted by Brian Joseph on Monday, May 25, 2009 at 6:19 am

It’s never smart to pick against a hot team as predicting when a streak will end or when a team should go cold is not an exact science… heck, it has nothing to do with science at all.

Yesterday, I took the sluggish Cubs against the surging Padres and that didn’t pan out too well as the Padres thumped the Cubs 7-2.

Instead, I should have looked at a heavy underdog like the Phillies who have been hot on the road and had their ace on the mound. Sure, it was against the Yankees and CC Sabathia but how often are you going to get a high-powered offense with Cole Hamels on the hill at +180???

TODAY’S PICKS

Detroit Tigers (-130) over Kansas City Royals
THE BET: 100 Units / Win = +100, Loss = -130

Looking at this game from more than one angle has to have you liking the Tigers. First, there’s Justin Verlander who is 7-1 with a 2.43 ERA against the Royals in his career. His batting line against current Royals isn’t amazing but it is solid: .264/.341/.380. It’s May and Verlander’s career pattern is to start slow and begin to heat up in May. By August he starts to fade but he’s in that area that he seems to be lights out. Additionally, the Tigers are 7-2 but have lost their last two. The Royals snapped a four-game losing streak yesterday by pulling out a tough one againt the Cardinals. Verlander has “stopper” stuff and is in a good spot to snap their two-game skid.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP

Season-to-Date: 46-33, +801 Units, +1,162 Units Unadjusted

Yesterday’s Winners
None

Yesterday’s Losers
Chicago Cubs (-102) over San Diego Padres (Padres, 7-2)